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Also, how are you dressed?
>We are wearing the frilly dress as this is a social visit.
>We are wearing the buisness dress suit because we like looking sharp.
>We are wearing our RRC officer dress uniform because we are representing our orginization.

It is now turn 8, you have 56 RnD points to spend, and 1 luck point remaining. Your birthday is comming up at the end of turn 9.

>Wiki: http://emlia.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php?n=SpacePrincessQuest.SpacePrincessQuest
>Rules: http://emlia.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php?n=WhatGoesUp.WhatGoesUp

All posts must use the royal we. Any suggestion unfitting a princess will be ignored

>>26605310
>We wish to know how good we are doing compaired to our rival and shall ask Ms Kenaway about the status of her own lunar program.
>We are wearing our RRC officer dress uniform because we are representing our orginization.

>>26605339
>We are slightly worried that children seem to be naturaly frightened of us and shall try to make friends with Mr Audovacar's niece Arglos.
>We are wearing the business dress suit because we like looking sharp.
It's probably best not to discuss the lunar transmissions until we can speak privately with Jakisan, so let's continue being pleasant and sociable. But smartly sociable.

"Good afternoon, Arglos. Are you looking forward to going to space some day?"

((All children want to be astronauts when they grow up, right?))

>We wish to know how good we are doing compaired to our rival and shall ask Ms Kenaway about the status of her own lunar program.
>We are wearing our RRC officer dress uniform because we are representing our orginization.

Dirty spies. We should develop the bomb that the general asked, and detonate it on Kenaway's telescope.

Mr Audovacar is a Nord spy, who seduced Jakisan to keep tabs on South space program. This is too obvious.

>>26605455
As much and fast as we need the manned lunar mission, the interplanetary probe can be constructed more quickly and will provide a Budget Bonus that would be useful to have for the lunar missions.

Turn 8 Budget:
18RP RTG Test Mission
Meteor-3
1. Pilot
2. Engineer
3. RTG (already in Inventory)
4. TV Module (already in Inventory)
5. RCS
6. Empty
Cheribum Upper Stage
1. Launch Fuel
2. Orbital Insertion Fuel
3. De-Orbit Fuel
4. Empty
Cheribum Lower Stage

30RP Invent Titan Mass 10 Thruster/Upper Stage 5/10 (tech transfer from Cheribum Upper Stage)
8RP Trailblazer Capsule 10/10

>>26605455
>>26605501
"Well the Radio teliscope is finaly working, and we have our plans for a new lauch veichile and lunar injection stage, but we are caught up in politics. First the congresses wanted us to land our normal capsule on the moon, They don't even know how much it weighs! And now that I convinced them to let me build a dedicated lander, I have to fight with them over accomidations. They want to use Mr Advocar's life support system but the calculations just don't add up!" Ms Kenaway tells you over tea.

You Learn that the SSC's lunar mission will be using Mass 14 launch stages and a single Mass 14 space tug. One launch brings up the tug, and another brings up the payload. The payload however is still up in the air, and you see varous sketches of plans that are just too heavy.
Using one larger injection stage instead of two smaller ones makes them slightly more mass efficent, but the diffrent payload plans all quickly eat that away. The origonal plan was to use the Kijumbashale with added landing legs to land on the moon. It would then lift off, dock back with the tug, and fly back home. Unfortunately taking the re-entry shield and extended life support all the way down to the surface was just too much weight.
Another design added an overcomplex life support module with a habitat, solar panels, and recycler. which would be nice for the crew, but did not offer any real mass savings, and would have required an entire extra launch.

Ms Kenaway once again expresses her jeliousy that as a monarch working out of a remote island, you don't have to deal with any of this nonsense.

>>26605752

We should, in a light tone, let her know about our brand of nonsense.

(That sounds a lot like the soyuz lunar landing option in raceintospace!)

>>26605752
>Mass 14 vehicle
Damn, looks like they might outstrip us again, since we're using a similar system but with Mass 8 vehicles.

We shall inform Ms. Kenaway that being Royalty does not mean we do not fall under Parliamentary scrutiny, though they cannot interfere AS much as her Congresses.
And then there are the bland social requirements that take away from the pure work that needs to be done at the Corps.

We shall inform Ms. Kenaway of our plan of using two vehicles, a capsule and a dedicated lander, for our own lunar mission.

>>26605857
"Well, the cows are always fatter in you neighbor's herd." Ms kenaway responds using an idiom you don't quite recognize.

(Right now I think it looks like a hybrid of the american and soviet designs. The RRCs plan also involves an soviet style earth orbit rendezous, it seems to be the only type feasable within a reasonable budget in this game)

>>26605974
"That's what I'm trying to do, but the congresses want to re-use the Kijumbashale as much as possible." She seems a bit fustrated about this.

(Mass 14 launch vehicle, not capsule. The Seraph is mass 18 which is even bigger. The only thing they have bigger than you is the mass 14 upper stage.)

>>26605752

Point at our uniform and remind her of our superiors.

>>26606066

"Looks like whoever gets there first it'll be close. That's not necessarily a bad thing, it makes it easier for both of us to get funding..."

THat's a thing, why are the kids scared?

>>26606145
"Ahh, the military at least we don have to deal wtih. Each state has it's own army, but the SSC is shared between all the states." Ms Kenaway says. "Should I tell the Congresses about your progress? If you don't want to share technology maybe we could at least share bragging?" She sugests with a giggle hidden behind her fan.

>>26606146
You aren't quite sure why, but both Maia and Arglos seem to be afraid of you, or at least really shy. It's kind of disheartening.

>>26606263
Politely laugh.
"Perhaps we should. It would not do to let them forget that this is a race."

By the way, a new house rule has been added to the wiki. Although the lunar landing is only 1 burn instead of 2, it consumes 1 unit of fuel for ever 5 mass of lander instead of 2. This is to encourage lighter lunar landers, for the Hectate It equates to some added mass of fuel required by the lunar lander which is offset by a slight reduction in cargo.

Hectate LM
>1 Pilot
>2 RCS
>3 Cargo
>4 Ascent Fuel
>5 Ascent Fuel
>6 Landing Fuel
>7 Landing Fuel

>>26606333

No, don't give her more ammo!

>>26606263

"Are you sure they won't just pressure you even more because of us? That might have unwanted consequences."

>>26606263
"A little national pride is always good to inspire the politicians, we think. Just as long as they don't start thinking they can risk the safety of our pilots to win votes."

>>26605620
>Turn 8 Budget:
>18RP RTG Test Mission
>Meteor-3
>>1. Pilot
>>2. Engineer
>>3. RTG (already in Inventory)
>>4. TV Module (already in Inventory)
>>5. RCS
>>6. Empty
>Cheribum Upper Stage
>>1. Orbital Insertion Fuel
>>2. Orbital Insertion Fuel
>>3. De-Orbit Fuel
>>4. Empty
>Cheribum Lower Stage
>
>30RP Invent Titan Mass 10 Thruster/Upper Stage 5/10 (tech transfer from >Cheribum Upper Stage)
>8RP Trailblazer Capsule 10/10

One more vote is required to confirm budget. Pilots selection is also required. Cobham and Orion both want more flight time. There is also room for either 1 more cargo or fuel for one more burn (to test the meteor in polar orbit)

>>26607170
Voting in support.

>>26607170

Alright, I'm gonna second the budget. Add another fuel mod for the polar orbit test. Orion pilots the rocket, Cobham pilots the Meteor.

>>26607170
Support that budget. Let's send Cobham and Orion up, then, with Cobham as the pilot - if Harker starts complaining we can point out that she's currently a better pilot than he is. Polar orbit sounds like a plan.

>>26607282
We only need one pilot, but we also need an engineer - Orion actually has 2 engineering now, so he can do the job just fine.

>>26607170

Support budget, send Cobham into space.

>>26606443
"No fair you highness! I told you all about my plans. You can be pretty rude when you're competitive. When this moon buisness is over, I am definately not going to race you to Ishtar." Ms Kenaway says, she seems to be a bit offended by all the secrecy.

>>26607308
Confirming budget, updaiting wiki.
Lacking an MVAC terminal nearby you approve the turn 8 budget via express Mail.

What shall you do next?
>We are intrigued by the ideas Mr Audovacar (Jakisan's fiance) presented and shall ask him more about his Zoalchemy and the possibility of life byond earth, human or otherwise.
>We are slightly worried that children seem to be naturaly frightened of us and shall try to make friends with Mr Audovacar's Nice Arglos.
>It is time for us to return home.

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>>26607479

Disregard children, discuss aliens.

>>26607479

She has a point...


We'd definitely like to know more about Zoalchemmy. It's also a way to pick up hints on whether they know what we know.

>>26607479
>We are slightly worried that children seem to be naturaly frightened of us and shall try to make friends with Mr Audovacar's Nice Arglos.

After this topic, we can go home.

>>26607479
>>We are intrigued by the ideas Mr Audovacar (Jakisan's fiance) presented and shall ask him more about his Zoalchemy and the possibility of life byond earth, human or otherwise.

We also had 2 supports for telling Jakisan about our lunar mission.

>>26607479
>We are intrigued by the ideas Mr Audovacar (Jakisan's fiance) presented and shall ask him more about his Zoalchemy and the possibility of life beyond earth, human or otherwise.

>>26607479
>We are intrigued by the ideas Mr Audovacar (Jakisan's fiance) presented and shall ask him more about his Zoalchemy and the possibility of life byond earth, human or otherwise.

And it's only fair that we discuss our lunar mission and the Meteor-3 too. Although I believe they're still the intellectual property of Harker's company, so we couldn't sell one directly like she previously asked.

>>26607634
>>26607695
>>26607633

"Life outside of earth? That's an intresting question your highness. Forgive me if it's rude to answer a question with a question, but how long do you think life has existed on earth? I assume Madam Palas has taught you the principle of Natural Emergence?" Mr Advocar says as he smiles devlishly.

Natural Emergence you understand, is the idea that all life (and by extension all existance) emerged from a single source at the creation of the universe, evolving acoriding to simple rules set in place by providince. Planets and stars formed out of clouds of gas, becoming more complex structures as time went by. Then when the planets were sufficently complex to support life, the first genomolicules formed out of a chemical soup, eventualy evoloving into more complex animals, including man, as time went by. This is one of the few things both Alchemists and Astrologers can agree on.

>>26607819
"Of course, Mr. Advocar. We are merely wondering, that if planets formed around our Sun, that planets may have formed around other stars. And if there are planets, then would not life eventually follow?"

>>26607892
"Yes that is logical, but I'm asking you a diffrent question. How old do you think life has existed on this planet. If the principle of natural emergence is correct, it should be very old to account for the great diversity and complexity of life we see every day." Mr Advocar takes the tone of a school teacher as he repeats his rhetorical question.

>>26607944
"Several hundred million years is the current estimates, we believe."

>>26608054
"I have taken part in excavations that seem to sugest otherwise. Part of natural emergence states that the same forces that act upon the earth today should also be in play in the distant past. However when one digs deeper into the strata of the earth, one eventualy reaches a layer wheren the entire makeup of the strata rapidly changes. I estimate this layer to be no more than a few dozen melinea, or somewhere between 10 and 20 thousand years. Most unsettlingly this is dangerously close to the time period when the first written records are daited."

>>26608174
"That is most intriguing, Mr Advocar. Could it be due to human activity on the soil or some such, or do you feel there is a more mystical explanation?"

>>26608213
"Before this layer, I could find not evidence that earth had any life, or was even capable of supporting life. As for the reason, although your astrolagers claim that man is the child of earth. The nods hold a much diffrent belief. They claim that man origonated in the stars, and once controled a vast empire. They believe that they are the heirs to this empire and that it is there birthright to return to the stars and reclaim that birthrite." Mr Advocar says as he folds his hands. "I cannot say I appreceate there arrogance. I have done buisness with them in the past and I find it hard to believe that they represent any sort of master race, but there is one thing that makes there story all the more intriguing..."

>>26608347
"Oh? And what might that be? And 'nods'? We must admit that we are unfamiliar with such a group."

>>26608516
(("Nords", almost certainly. The guys Midland used to be at war with.))

>>26608516
"I'm sorry I meant to say Nords. The people of the northernmost continent. As I said they believe that they are the descndents of a spacefairing empire." Mr Advocar clarafies. "In the year 690 they noticed a new star appearing above the north pole, this star shined brightly for several hours before vanishing. Over the next decade the star came and went, and within 5 years the political structure in Nordheim had changed. A new Kriegfuer took charge of there armies and war was declared upon midland. This war was only stoped by your orginization's radio reactive weaponry."

>>26608677

(Hes a spy! Also proves that a lot more people know about the starts than the society thinks.)

>>26608677

Oh boy.

"As much as the nords are despicable and not worthy of trust, they might be righte regarding our species origins. We recommend this to remain between just us."

>>26608713
He's a spy because he's familiar with history and politics?

>>26608677
"Very interesting, Mr Advocar. We do hope they won't take our satellites and space habitats as signals for political upheaval too."

>>26608677
"Interesting. We have not heard of this new star. We shall look back through the records of Midland's astrologers upon our return.
"But why did they not attempt to return to the stars, and instead decide to make war with the world?"

We need to arrange a meeting with the society ASAP. We shall comment, while near Amelia, that we have very urgent matters to discuss with them.

(Is it Amelia, her name? I forgot.)

>>26608773
"The star's re-appearance has become much more sporadic in the years since then Although I believe it has been sighted earlier this year. As for the Nords. I believe they desired an equatorial launch site and greater control of the earth's resources. Since there faulure in the war, it is our two nations, the so called lesser races, that have ironicaly taken up there quest. The people of Nordhiem have since had there spitit crushed with radio-reactive fire it seems." Mr Advocar says as he crosses his hands. "Anyways I appologise for leading you around. I think life is possible in space, and that there is evidince that it exists. I would surely like to meet with it if it does."

>>26608830
Yes.

Where shall you go now?

>We shall return home at once, we have work to do.
>We shall watch the SSC's launch of a Nyati supply vehicle to there space station.

>>26608909
>>We shall watch the SSC's launch of a Nyati supply vehicle to there space station.
We have already been rude during our visit, we should not compound our insults to Ms. Kenaway.

>>26608909
>We shall return home at once, we have work to do.

Very urgent work, might we say.

>>26608909
>We shall watch the SSC's launch of a Nyati supply vehicle to there space station.
As >>26608990 notes, we have been extremely rude. This does not befit a Princess of the Realm. ((We presume Miss Jakisan would prefer that we stay, rather than preferring that we got out of her way and let her work in peace?))

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Rolled 6, 9 - 2 = 13

>>26609598
On the last day of your stay you visit the observation tower to watch the launch. Because the SSC has much more room to spread out, they can afford to evacuate everyone to a safe distance rather than have them sit in armored bunkers.

The anouncer starts counting down in Suthish as you view the distant rocket through a pair of opera glasses.

Amashumi
Isithoba
Isibhozo
Isixenxe
Isistandatu
Isihlanu
Isine
Isithathu
Isibini
Inye
unothi!

>>26609791

C'mon, explode.

>>26609791
((... Are they counting down in Xhosa? That's some nice research work.))

Rolled 3, 5 - 2 = 6

>>26609863
The rocket does not explode and it soars up into the sky before disapearing from view. The first stage will land in the gulf and the second stage will take the unmanned cargo veichile into orbit. The launch is timed perfectly to bring it into a Rendezous with the station.

>>26609885
(Yes. I feel bad because I use Swahili words for the rockets themselves and that seems inconsistant, I wanted to use Xhosa for everything but I couldn't find a good English Xhosa translation tool, Oh well I guess one state wanted to name the spacecraft and another got to do the countdown.)

>>26610056

Gah, damnit. I need to prepare some better mumbojumbo for this quest.

>>26610056
They seem to be doing well, with automated supply vehicles.

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Rolled 4, 10 - 2 = 12

>>26610056
It will take several hours before the Nyati (you are told it means buffalo, a beast of burden) reaches the station. There isn't much to see here, just watching the SSC's computers plotting it's course on the greaseboard and the occasonal bit of radio chatter in suthish.

The actual docking will be handled remotely by the crew of the station once the capsule is back within the SSCs randar range. For safety they do not attempt the final docking until the sun is above the horizon, and the station is in radio contact with the base. Because the SSCs radio facilities are limited to the southern contindent, not having overseas bases, comsats, or the royal navy to relay messages. This means the Nyati has to occasonaly standoff in a parking orbit until it is safe to dock.

Fortunately, both objects circle the earth every 90 munites.

>>26610493
Last session we were looking towards a joint radio-telescope program, since all lunar transmissions would be encrypted and can't be decoded by the Suthlanders.
Are we still doing that?

Rolled 5, 2 - 2 = 5

>>26610555
The current SSC teliscope is more or less the same longitude as Stonefield, but it would grant you access to the southern hemisphere. The SSC is however planning to build teliscopes in Ixander or Daud which would extend the range considerably, and might consider sharing with you if you offer something in return such as MVAC.

(Docking sucessful, rolling for eventual de-orbit)

>>26610648

Hmm, might indeed trade the MVAC, then.

Oh well, time for us to return home.

>>26610648
But the MVAC tech could allow them to build a codebreaker.
Building a radio telescope in the East and providing access to that would be better for us.

>>26610900
No, it wouldn't. We checked this last thread. Making codes is much easier than breaking them. Breaking our encryption would take millions of MultiVAC units and hundreds of years.

>>26610918
That's only if you brute force it, and you know that. The Enigma Machines had the same claim, and ULTRA broke that shit wide open.

>>26610976
This isn't an Enigma Machine we're talking about. This is RSA-level encryption. Trapdoor functions and large prime factorisation, not mechanical wiring encoding. ((And yes, RSA was eventually shown to be vulnerable, but not with a single other computer core.)) They simply won't have the processing power to crack our codes.

>>26610976
ULTRA did Brute force Enigma. It was simply a much more advanced computer. And even then the Nazis knew the Enigma was possibly crackable, they just thought the allies would try diffrent means to intercept transmissions.

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You fly back to Tanhauser island and recieve word that the latest Meteor Mission has launched sucessfuly and is now in polar orbit.

You also recieve word that a Foe Star appeared and vanished while you were away. The RRC did not inform you because they were not sure they could get a secure enough message to you without a local MVAC terminal. A wireless teligraph or express post could both be intercepted.

The Foe star seemed to follow the normal pattern, and no attempt to contact it was made. It disapeared as usual, just as suddenly as it had came.

The base on the moon is also still there and seems to be silent, better pictures with a higher resolution color camera would be nice, but that would require a manned flyby.

>>26611191

Well, let's get to work.

We shall inform Amelia of our need to meet with the society. Or rather, comment aloud of that. Refer to >>26608830

>>26611191
We shall send a coded message to our Mother, and through her, the Society, asking if they knew that the Foe Stars were the reason for the Nordic aggression, and that at their earliest convenience there is matter we should discuss with them.

We need to tell them about the city on the moon, that others know of the Foe Stars, and if they are sure that the Nords are not secretly working on their own rocket program; they have a colony at the equatorial line after all.

>>26611417

Seconding.

>>26611417
Fortunately you have some eyes in the sky too observe the Nords. According to your images there is no evidence of rocket facilities in either Scaggar or Nordheim. Manned reconasance flights using color cameras would provide more reliable inteligence however.

Amelia is playing coy when you say in public that you wish to speak with the society. "Why do you want to talk to those old creeps Lydia?"

However soon enough you find another handwritten letter
"Luna, before the faux stars first appeared, the heavens fortold a period of untold peace and prosperity. then the foe star appeard and within with it the greatest war ever to touch the earth. Our mother does not wish to decieve you, but there are few answers she has to give. Did the Stars fortell the war? Or was it the barbarians interpritation of them that caused them to act. Ever since then the Foe stars have been throwing the predictions of the society into dissaray, and the old sages fear they can no longer guide this civilization. You were raised in part, to find answers and new methods to guide the people of midland into the next age.
-Lilith"

You also find that somebody else has been transmitting encrypted messages too and from Castle gates using MVAC. You don't have the key so you can't read them, but they seem to be signed Lilith and Gaia. Seargent Adell is quite puzzled by this and asks you if you know anything about this.

>>26611742

It couldn't be more obvious now. We shall question Amelia if the society plans on another meeting, and just how much has she told the society about our findings.

>>26611742
"Just some benefactors who need trusted communications, sergeant.
"Now, how did the Radio-Thermal Generator perform, or had it not yet been tested?"

Rolled 7, 3 - 2 = 8

>>26612093
The RTG cannot be turned off, but it is providing power to the Meteor's systems. Hopefuly it will not overheat like before.

>>26612152
Looks like a success this time.

>>26612059
"I woouldn't know, but I imagine they like to do things on the Solstaces and equinoxes, the summer one's coming up in 5 turns. I think?" Amelia says, as coy as ever. "Anyways, what are you doing for your birthday? And how was Merika?" She asks quickly changing the subject.

>>26612473
"Oh, Merika was interesting. Their space program seems to be as fraught with as much setbacks as ours, with all of their politicians bickering with each other. We are thankful that at least with the RRC, Parliament does not try to dictate engineering requirements when they haven't the faintest idea or schooling on the subject.
"As for our birthday...we had not considered much. Perhaps we should both go up in the Meteor, Amelia? It would be good publicity, and simply seeing Lord Pero's face in reaction would be amusing enough."

Rolled 13

>>26612473

"They know of something they shouldn't. Something crucial for humanity, and something the Societyb will most probably, be incredibly interested in."

>>26612601
"you mean by ourselves? Are we qualafied?" Amelia is supprised by your sudden sugestion.
>>26613327
"Is the society really right to make desisions on who should or shouldn't know things? I mean they already said it was impossible to orbit the earth, or survive in space. Maybe they just don't like the fact the world's changing without them?"

>>26613378
"Not as pilots, Amelia. But the Meteor-3 can hold a number of passengers."

>>26613378
"Not by ourselves, no. That would simply be reckless. Piloted by Dame Cobham, perhaps, and Dame Palmer.
"There is plenty of space for passengers in the Meteor-3, after all."

>>26613442
>>26613494
We probably should put a Payload in there of SOMETHING, just so it's not a completely self-indulgent use of RRC funds. After all, a single flight up still costs more than 32% of our Turn Budget.

>>26613378

"Maybe not on who should or shouldn't know things, but this is also of importance to Midland, and maybe the entire humanity as well. But mostly Midland. And this secret...it is something which might be related to our origins. In the end, even if there are no gods...we were created by something."

Well it's late now, time for archive and bed. sorry I missed a day and started late today.

Next thread will probably be friday, but I'm not sure. My work schedule is kinda funny this week.